And Philip, going down to a city of Samaria, preached the Christ to them;
Persecution had just driven the believers out of Jerusalem, and Philip — appointed earlier to hand out money to the poor — arrives in a city of Samaria. Who gave him the right to preach, and why did he announce Christ to these hearers in particular?
The scattering that emptied Jerusalem was meant to crush the young church. One writer reads the outcome as a defeat for the enemy who caused it:
Satan often outwits himself. No wonder: whatever his power, he is only a creature, and so he cannot see the end from the beginning. He brought about the murder of Stephen, and a general persecution of Christians followed. He no doubt imagined he had scored a great triumph. But an all-wise God ordered it otherwise. Among those who fled Jerusalem at that crisis was Philip. He was one of the seven whom the assembly had set apart to look after its poor. Going down to Samaria, he at once preached Christ to the people.
Philip held no office as a preacher. His right to preach came from somewhere other than the church that had appointed him to handle its funds:
Philip had earlier been appointed to the work of a deacon in Jerusalem (see Acts 6:1-6)... but as soon as the assembly was broken up, his duties ended. He then started out to preach, using the spiritual gift the Lord (not the apostles) gave him... No apostle appointed him to that spiritual gift. No laying on of hands gave it, and no one else's intervention gave it. He got the office of deacon in that way. He received his gift as an evangelist from the ascended Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus. He went out and used it, and preached in Samaria — a city ripe for blessing.
What Philip announced was not a system of ideas but someone alive:
CHRIST Himself is the good news. Philip preached Christ in Samaria (Acts 8:5), and there was great joy in that city (v. 8). He told the Ethiopian eunuch "the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35), and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing (v. 39). May God help us to remember that our business is to "announce Him as good news."... It is not a doctrine we preach. It is Christ Himself. He is the living, loving Saviour.
Another writer draws out the order: what came first in the preaching, and what came after:
Christ is preached first. "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ." (Acts 8:5.) And what wonderful effects that preaching produced!... Philip did the same with the eunuch. He "opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." He did not begin by preaching repentance as the price of salvation. So in Paul's conversion, Christ reveals Himself to him; repentance followed, no doubt.
The wording shifts later in the same chapter, and that shift is deliberate:
Note, he preached Christ to them. Compare verse 35, where the same Philip deals with the eunuch: he "told him the good news about Jesus." Why the difference? Simply this. The Samaritans, though a foreign race, had for centuries taken Jewish ground. They had their own temple on Mount Gerizim. They had the Jewish scriptures. They spoke of "our father Jacob," and claimed the Jewish hope — the coming of the Messiah (John 4:12, 25). Philip therefore took them on their own ground, and announced the Christ to them.
Philip was not the first to speak of Christ in that region:
He went to the city of Samaria and preached. The power of God was with him, and wonderful blessing followed. That is always what happens when a servant of God moves in the direct line of God's purpose. The Lord Himself had done the sowing among the Samaritans, as John 4 records. Then many had said not only that this might be the Christ, but that He truly was the Christ. Now Philip came to them and preached Christ as the One who had died, is risen, and is now in glory. And so a great time of reaping took place.
Commentators do not settle which city this was, but they agree on the contrast with Jerusalem:
To what city in that province he went is not clearly stated. Some have supposed it was the capital. Others have suggested Sychar, the town of John 4. It is enough for us to know of the work that went on... What Jews refused, Samaritans gladly received. Malice filled hearts at Jerusalem. Much joy spread through the people of that city in Samaria. For Philip preached Christ to them.
- Scattered. The persecution meant to end the testimony only spread it. The enemy's win became God's advance.
- Sent. Philip's job of caring for the poor ended. His gift as an evangelist came straight from the ascended Lord, not from human appointment.
- Subject. He preached a Person, not a doctrine: Christ died, risen and in glory. Repentance followed that message; it did not come first.
- Suited. He said "the Christ" because the Samaritans were already waiting for the Messiah. He met them on their own ground.
- Sown and reaped. The Lord had sown at the well in John 4. Philip reaped the harvest: joy filled that city, while malice filled Jerusalem.
and the crowds with one accord gave heed to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard [him] and saw the signs which he wrought.
Persecution scattered the believers out of Jerusalem, and one of them, Philip, went to Samaria and preached Christ. A whole city stopped to listen — but was that attention the same as faith?
Samaria was not neutral ground. It had a long history of religious rivalry with Jerusalem, and that is exactly where the message now landed.
A great work resulted in Samaria (Acts 8:1-13). This place had long been the religious rival of Jerusalem. Now the power of that grace which Jerusalem was driving away had won it over. "There was great joy in the city."
An enemy power already held the city. Commentators read Philip's preaching as God's answer to it.
The enemy seemed now in possession like a flood. But the Spirit of the Lord raises His banner against him in the preaching of Philip, confirmed by the signs which he worked before their eyes... So the Spirit worked with power in Samaria through a free messenger of the gospel. Jerusalem had refused the testimony with hostility to the point of death.
The wording of Philip's message was fitted to his hearers. Later, with the Ethiopian official, the same man preached differently.
Note, he preached Christ to them. Compare verse 34, where the same Philip deals with the eunuch: "he preached to him Jesus." Why the difference? Simply this. The Samaritans, though a foreign race, had for centuries taken Jewish ground. They had their temple on Mount Gerizim. They had the Jewish scriptures. They spoke of "our father Jacob," and claimed the Jewish hope — the coming of the Messiah (John 4:12, 25). Philip therefore took them on their own ground, and announced the Christ to them.
The readiness of these crowds did not begin with Philip. Someone had worked this ground before him.
The Lord Himself had done the sowing among the Samaritans, as recorded in John 4... Now Philip came to them and "preached Christ," as the One who had died, had risen again, and was now in glory. As a consequence, a great time of reaping took place. There was great joy in that city.
The verse names two things the crowds took in — what they heard and what they saw. The order matters.
How he attracted the interest of the people we are not told, except that he preached Christ to them. God had prepared hearts to respond to this blessed message. God also bore witness to his preaching with the miracles of casting out demons and healing the sick. Notice, it was not that Philip held a healing meeting; rather his speaking is first emphasized, then the miracles added.
Paying attention with one accord sounds like the best possible outcome. But one man in the city was gripped by the display of power, not by the word. Commentators read a warning in this verse.
But the testimony of miracles is apt to act upon the flesh. They are, indeed, a sign to unbelievers, and the Spirit of God shows us that very result in the chapter before us. The Lord gives them in grace, as a token to attract the careless minds of men. But they are dangerous when the mind rests on them and makes them its object. That was the fatal mistake made then — and not only there, but by many millions of souls from that day to this. Faith never rests on any other ground than God's word... It was the outward display of power, then so richly shown, that acted on the fleshly mind of Simon, who himself had the reputation of being someone great.
Philip did not start out as a preacher. He took a practical job first, and grew into the work this verse describes.
He is elsewhere called "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8), but he was not an evangelist to begin with. His was a case of a man faithful to his trust, and then developing the gift God gave him. Philip was one of seven men set apart to look after the treasury and the poor (see Acts 6:1-6). That is what you would call a deacon.
- Refused — Jerusalem drove the message out with deadly hostility. Grace carried it to Jerusalem's old rival.
- Sown — Christ Himself had already sown in Samaria (John 4). Philip came to reap a field prepared before him.
- Preached — he announced "the Christ." He met the Samaritans on the ground of the Messiah they already hoped for.
- Heeded — the speaking came first, and the signs confirmed it. This was not a healing meeting but a city listening.
- Tested — attention drawn by miracles can stop at amazement, as Simon shows. Faith rests on God's word alone.
For from many who had unclean spirits they went out, crying with a loud voice; and many that were paralysed and lame were healed.
Persecution had just scattered the believers out of Jerusalem. Philip went down to a city in Samaria, where sorcery held the ground. This verse records what happened when he preached Christ there. Unclean spirits screamed as they came out of their victims, and God healed people who could not walk.
Samaria was not neutral territory. One writer describes a contest already under way. He also compares this moment with the Lord's own visit to that place.
The enemy seemed to hold the ground like a flood. But the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him in the preaching of Philip, confirmed by the signs Philip worked in front of their eyes. No miracle was needed there when the Lord visited the place and worked as the great and acknowledged Prophet... But now Satan had sought to wipe out the truth and set up a rival in sorcery. Sorcery is always ready to seduce, interest and alarm those who do not know the true God. And the time had also come for God to bear witness through men, the servants of Christ on earth. They were to witness to His victory over Satan and to His glory on high.
The order matters. Philip did not advertise healings and then add a sermon.
God also bore witness to his preaching with miracles: casting out demons and healing the sick. Notice, Philip did not hold a healing meeting. The account puts his speaking first and adds the miracles after.
The word "paralyzed" is worth a closer look. Its root has a simple meaning, and the condition itself carries a picture.
The Greek word, παραλύω, means to loosen. It shows that the disease was paralysis. People with this illness came to the Lord carried on beds or couches. Matt. 9:2-6; Mark 2:3-10; Luke 5:18, 24; Acts 8:7; Acts 9:33. The paralysed were a picture of complete human helplessness. God alone can relieve it and raise it up.
Philip was an evangelist, not an apostle, yet demons obeyed him. One writer draws a wider conclusion about who may hold such power.
Here, as at other times, the apostles clearly stood out above all others in doing many signs and wonders. But Acts 6:8 and Acts 8:6-7, 13 show plainly that the power was in no way limited to those whom God set first in the church. The martyr Stephen and the evangelist Philip were both remarkable in that way. Any believer who reads 1 Cor. 12 can have no real doubt about it. God might give such sign-gifts widely, and apart from all public office. Our Lord indicated the same in Mark 16:17-20: they were for "those that believed," not only for certain prominent officials.
The spirits here did not leave in silence. They shouted. One writer turns that detail into a warning: a loud voice proves nothing about its source.
Satan would not only use such deceiving spirits in the streets. He would also try to bring them into the very middle of the gathering of the saints... When the saints know what is being said, they can test the words by the word of God. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ come in the flesh is not of God (1 John 4:1-3)... Let us not be deceived. Satan can send a lying spirit into the mouth of a man now, as he did long ago (1 Kings 22:22-23). And unclean spirits can cry out with a loud voice now as they did in Samaria (Acts 8:7).
One man in the crowd, Simon, believed and was baptised. One writer notes what gripped him, and what did not.
Many believed Philip's testimony and were baptised, Simon among them. He was astonished at the miracles and signs. Sadly, it was these that struck him, not the word of God... Faith founded on miracles is worth little. The Lord, when He was here, would not trust Himself to such people (John 2:23-25). Miracles may arrest and convince the mind. They can confirm faith where it already exists. But the word of God alone can lay bare the heart and conscience. This the unhappy Simon never knew.
- Word. Philip preached Christ first. The miracles followed his speaking.
- Witness. The enemy had held that ground through sorcery. The signs were God's witness, through a man, to Christ's victory over Satan and His glory on high.
- Weakness. Paralysis pictures total human helplessness. God alone can relieve it and raise it up.
- Wideness. Philip held no apostolic office. God never limited such power to those He set first in the church.
- Warning. Loud spirits still cry out. Faith resting on miracles is worth little. Only God's word reaches the conscience, as Simon shows.
And there was great joy in that city.
Persecution had just scattered the believers out of Jerusalem. One of them, Philip, went down to a city in Samaria and preached Christ. This verse gives the result: a city full of joy. What made that joy, and how far did it reach?
The joy started with a loss. Jerusalem drove grace away, and that grace went on to win Jerusalem's old rival.
A great work resulted in Samaria (Acts 8:1-13). This place had long been the religious rival of Jerusalem. Now the very grace Jerusalem was driving away had subdued it. "There was great joy in the city."
What Philip preached explains the result. He preached a Person: the One the Jews had refused, now exalted at God's right hand.
The evangelist came down and preached Christ. Why Christ?... Because He was the ascended One. The Samaritans were to know that the One whom the Jew had refused was now the exalted One at the right hand of God. This was the Jesus they had once had among them. Philip preached Christ, and what was the result? "There was great joy in that city."
The joy stands out against what the city had been. Sorcery held Samaria, and unclean spirits held many of its people. Philip's preaching and the healings broke that grip.
The enemy seemed now to be in possession like a flood. But the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him in the preaching of Philip, confirmed by the signs which he worked before their eyes... Satan had sought to wipe out the truth and set up a rival in sorcery. Sorcery is always ready to seduce, interest, and alarm those who do not know the true God... On the one hand, the crowds listened with one accord to what Philip said. On the other, unclean spirits cried out with a loud voice and came out of many people. Many who were paralysed or lame were healed. Can we wonder that "there was much joy in the city"?
The oldest manuscripts read "much joy," which is why the ESV has "much" where the writers quoted here say "great." That changes what the word measures.
The critical reading is polle chara ("much joy"), not megale ("great joy"). It seems to refer to the extent of the joy rather than its quality.
Samaria was not a special case. One writer treats gladness as the natural effect of believing that your sins are forgiven.
The "glad tidings" of salvation must gladden the believing soul. They cannot do anything else. There was great joy in Samaria when Philip preached Christ to them. The Ethiopian official went on his way rejoicing when he learned that Jesus had died for his sins. How could it be otherwise? How could anyone believe in the forgiveness of sins and not be made happy by the belief? Impossible.
Another writer notes the order. The gospel first makes a person wretched, then glad.
I do not say that the first effect of the gospel is to make a man happy, but rather to make him wretched. And why? Because the gospel tells me what God is... and it tells me that I am a guilty, ruined, lost sinner... If I may put it this way, when the sinner gets miserable heaven gets happy.
Commentators differ on this. One of them will not make joy an automatic proof of faith, since this chapter itself supplies a warning case.
With Luke 8:13 in view, I could not say as absolutely as Calvin that the joy must be the fruit of faith. At least the "faith" may not be of God, as we see in the glaring case which the Holy Spirit brings before us here.
The joy was real, but something was still missing.
This earnest man — not an apostle, but a simple evangelist — is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what we read of here. But the Spirit of God had not taken up His home in that city as yet. So far He was only in the person of that one servant. There was "great joy in that city" because they received Christ, but as yet the Holy Spirit had fallen on none of them.
- Scattered → joy. Persecution pushed the believers out of Jerusalem and pushed the gospel into its rival city. Grace won there what Jerusalem refused.
- Christ → joy. Philip preached a Person — the rejected Jesus, now exalted — and joy was the result, not the method.
- Freed → joy. Preaching freed a city held by sorcery and unclean spirits. The size of the joy shows the size of the rescue.
- Joy → reach. The older reading says "much," not "great": the joy filled the whole city, not a few hearts.
- Joy → proof. One writer calls it impossible to believe your sins are forgiven and stay joyless. Another warns that joy alone does not prove faith, and in Samaria the Spirit had not yet come.